


can't handle change

by nothange



Series: red desert [2]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Blindfolds, Explicit Sexual Content, Light Dom/sub, M/M, Porn With Plot, Restraints, Spreader Bars, levi is in constant denial
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-17 17:46:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28978365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nothange/pseuds/nothange
Summary: Eren looks back at him for what feels like a long time; his eyes skimming on his face in search for something. Narrowed and calculating and so damn green. And then, he says, “It was a one-time thing to show me how it works from a submissive perspective,” his voice dropping lower.Levi's fingers around the steering wheel tighten to white-knuckles, his chest clenching. “What do you want to imply with that?”And Eren smirks, shrugs one of his shoulders as he finally pulls the handle of his door. “You think about it and tell me."
Relationships: Levi/Eren Yeager
Series: red desert [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2106204
Comments: 10
Kudos: 68
Collections: AoT_AddyRyder





	can't handle change

Levi wakes up with his phone’s alarm ringing under his head. 

He reaches out blindly behind his pillow, switching it off with his thumb as he squeezes the sleep from his eyes and rolls around on his other side. The shadows in his room are not so different from the dark veil under his eyelids, with curtains drawn and secured not to let any ray of sunlight pass through. He skims the room from side to side, adjusting his eyes to the morning sleepiness. When his head clears enough, he drops one leg over the edge of his bed, ready to get on with the start of the day. 

He opens his closet, taking a few fresh clothes with him as he makes his way to the bathroom and starts the water, waiting for it to heat up. He brushes his teeth in the meantime, checking the temperature of the water when he’s done and stripping off his clothes, his movements still too slow and dragged from his sleep. He stretches his arms over his head, hearing the strains on his bones crack before he gets into the shower and dives his head under the showerhead.

The water, even though left running for around ten minutes, still hits coldly on the skin of his face. He leans his head to the side, letting the trails of water wash him over his back as he pours shampoo into his palms. The noise, pouring directly next to his ear, is enough to make any recollections vanish, images flashing like a camera before his eyes. He closes them shut, scrubbing his skin with harsh moves, and soon any memories of naked skin and velvety wet lips are replaced only by the blackness of his eyelids.

The moment he gets out, Levi feels completely woken up and fresh. He walks with more ease into the kitchen to make the tea that would help resolve the state of his still sleep-deprived brain. He turns on the kettle, leaning on the counter as he scrolls through the list of unread emails stocking in his inbox when he gets a text notification. His eyes move up to the name of the sender, popping on the screen for short seconds; and his hand freezes around the phone, eyes glued to the spot where the name was. 

It all comes back before his eyes again in greater details, in the form of a short-lived film. He remembers the press of skin against his palms, the chest heaving and the strain of muscles trembling under his fingers. He can see the shape of the neck as the head is pushed back, the tearing eyes looking up with unfocused precision and he can hear the muffled sounds, moans and groans blocked from being heard. It all goes away when he blinks, but the effect of the shower is gone once again. 

The kettle starts howling at his side, and Levi jumps from the sudden sound, putting his phone back down as he starts preparing his tea slowly. When he’s done, walking with his cup of tea towards the couch to sit down, he checks the messages again. Eren had sent him only one text, which is good, meaning there might be nothing too bad to worry about, even  _ considering _ .

Levi takes a long breath, opens the conversation and reads it—and feels relief over the fact that the one text Eren had sent has nothing to do with last night. 

It has nothing to do with  _ them  _ at all; the text is one Eren had sent from time to time along the years, something Levi is familiar with seeing before going to work. 

_ could you give me a ride to the store? _

_ lost the bus :(( _

Levi types back a short  _ Okay  _ before shutting down his phone and leaning back into the couch to drink his tea. He makes it quickly, careful not to pass over both of their scheduled time-lines, and then walks back into his bedroom to change. He keeps his eyes downwards, not sparing a glance at the other cabinet in the room for fear of risking any more memories to resurface, and he dresses up quickly, leaving his house in under ten minutes. 

Waiting for Eren to get out however would surely take longer. He walks in front of his door, pushing his back on the wall as he waits with his arms crossed over his chest for the other to walk out. It would be weird, seeing each other again after such a short time, knowing both well enough what exactly went down the day before. Levi remembers everything despite his best efforts not to; he remembers the discussion before, the scene itself and most importantly he remembers the discussion  _ afterwards.  _ That would’ve been impossible not to—he's been thinking about what Eren had said for too long after he walked out, forcing the words out of his mind with a cup of strong black tea just before going to bed. 

He waits for the minutes to pass by as he opens a few emails to respond to, unperturbed with the time that flies by. He's in the middle of reading an offer of payment when the turn of keys makes him look up from his phone, watching the door for Eren to finally come out. The lock turns, the door yanked open, and then Levi sees Eren again, meets his eyes for a short second before the other turns to lock his door. He'd thought since leaving his house that seeing Eren again after the day before wouldn’t affect him; the other times before had never left lingering feelings within him, regardless of the scenes. Now however, after seeing the spark of green in  Eren'’s eyes, Levi’s chest tightens involuntarily, as if Eren’s presence  _ means  _ something more now than it meant before. 

There are still some aspects that he won’t deny. The scene he’d had with Eren was good, better than any other he’s had in the last seven months at most, but the fact that it’s  _ Eren  _ makes it hard to accept. And the fact that Levi had gotten turned on by everything that took place into the scene wasn’t supposed to happen. That wasn’t even a chance Levi put through his thoughts beforehand, but now it  _ is  _ a condition he has to accept even when the deal is over and closed. 

He had never expected Eren to be so attractive, but now that he looks at him when he turns around, at the curved shape of his eyes, the smooth and pink tilt of his lips and the strong cut of his jawline, he can’t understand why hasn’t he seen any of  _ this  _ before. And that, in the end, makes him even more frustrated than having to accept the fact that they’ve slept together. 

He  purses his lips as Eren gives him a good morning, pushing himself off the wall and tucking his phone back in his pocket. “It’s no wonder you’ve lost your bus taking so much time getting dressed.” he says, walking on before him and listening to the rapid footsteps the other takes to get in line with himself.

“I was still half-conscious from the night before. Couldn't sleep for that long.” Eren says, and Levi bites his tongue, trying not to think about the amount of two hours he’s managed to squeeze in for sleeping on his part. 

“Try not to faint at work, then.” he said over his shoulder, listening to the quiet huff the other let out before answering.

“I’ll blast some music in the car to wake me up.” he says, and Levi groans from the back of his throat, but doesn’t follow it up with anything else. The less he talks to him, he hopes, the harder his presence would be acknowledged. 

✦✧✦

But still, Eren does blast music in his car, and between  _ Beyonce _ and  _ mother  _ _ mother _ songs input from his phone, it’s hard to ignore his existence. He turns the volume up, singing along with the lyrics and messing the words outside of the chorus. It's so chaotic and loud that Levi has the impulse to pull over and throw him out after only a few minutes of driving, but something helps burring his annoyance away. Maybe it’s just the familiarity he’d gotten to build with the other, the fact that Eren’s attics are nothing new and nothing he can’t deal with or bear anymore. Maybe it’s the still uncomfortable atmosphere between them, hidden under the sound of the music and making it hard for him to say anything without fearing it might open the  opportunity for discussion.

Halfway on their way Eren turns towards him with excitement, turning the radio volume down a notch so Levi would be able to hear him, and his heart clenches in panic. “I’ve had a really crazy dream last night.” he says though, and Levi lets out a short sigh of relief. He looks at him shortly just to raise an eyebrow before returning his attention on the street. Eren takes it as an attention gripper however, and starts talking about the flying fish passing through his window and how upon entering his kitchen, waffles started appearing on every surface like magic, all the while  _ verbatim  _ is playing in the enclosed space of their car. It feels, sort of, like a fever dream.

They reach Eren’s workplace first. Levi parks on the sidewalk as Eren reaches out first to turn the volume all the way down and grabs the backpack at his feet, ready to step out. Before he does however, along with the silence looming over them and the nagging pressure beaming in the back of his head, Levi feels the need to say something about  _ then.  _ Even if fearing opening the discussion, he knows it’s something necessary to be done. If only, just to know that there’s nothing to worry about in the long term. He tightens his hands around the steering wheel, brushing his palms over it and before Eren can open the door, he turns around and says, “Listen, about the other night—” He looks up, directly in Eren’s eyes, widen and fearful almost—cautious. He shuts his mouth and rests back, seeing Eren avoiding his gaze and letting out a long sigh.

“Is something wrong?” he asks, and Levi closes his eyes tightly, recollecting his thoughts before he addresses him seriously.

“About what you said then. It was a one-time thing,  Eren , I told you that.” he says, trying not to relive the sensations he’d had that evening; the restless beating of his heart, the giddy tremor of his fingers or the bouts of excitement and anticipation. 

Eren looks back at him for  what feels like  a long time; his eyes skimming on his face in search for— _ something _ . Narrowed and calculating and so damn green. And then, he  says , “It was a one-time thing to show me how it works from a submissive perspective ,” his voice dropping lower.

Levi's fingers around the steering wheel tighten to white-knuckles, his chest clenching. “What do you want to imply with that?”

And  Eren smirks, shrugs one of his shoulders as he finally pulls the handle of his door and gets out. “You think about it and tell me.” he says, stepping out of the car with a faint and barely noticeable wink.

It sorts out, additionally, that Levi has a lot to worry about.

✦✧✦

The same giddy feeling follows him through his work as well, coming in the way of his coordination and ability to take a proper order, which has never ever happened to  _ Levi  _ out of everyone else. It's more frustrating this, the fact that the sole reason for his clumsiness is whatever those words infused within him and how they mess around in his head only to find the meaning, if there’s any. With Eren, he can’t be really sure—the boy is always prone on playing around and finding new ways to annoy him.

Yet if that were the case, Eren had done a marvelous job out of annoying him this time around.

He walks back from the table he was standing by, making sure he corrects the  _ maccihiato _ __ he wrote down, and as he rounds the corner his hip bumps into the counter, the force rattling the machine near the edge enough to fall and spill all the coffee on the ground. He stops to look down at it, prompting himself with his palm on the now empty space on the table. His nose scrunches up in delay, after processing his movements. He puts the notebook down and steps over the wet floor, heading to the storage room for a mop when Hange asks, “Why are you so dizzy today? Did you eat anything funny?”

“I’d say, it’s too early for you to be high. And on the job too!” Isabel says from the storage room, coming in with a mop already prepared in her hand. She eyes Levi as soon as he’s in view, tilting her head as the smirk raises slowly on her lips, and Levi turns around with a click of a tongue before he can see it fully formed. 

“Just clean that up. I'll take care of the order.” Levi said, passing her by as he moves towards the other side of the counter, searching for the coffee beans. As he gets a hold of the jar, another hand moves on top of the lid, gently holding it to secure it from himself.

“Please let me do this order for you.”  Moblit says, all careful smiles and soft voices—and if only the rest of his employees were any more like him. 

Levi sighs, dropping his hand from the jar so  Moblit can hold it all in his own and move along with the order. He can hear Hange’s laughter behind him, her weird spasms of breath she lets out when she tries to be quiet, and then the soft groan when  Moblit pinches her to make her stop. Levi tunes down whatever the two are saying, sorting the rows of tea bags instead, his mouth pulled in a low grimace as he realizes that the only  thing he can think of to distract himself are Eren’s sparkling eyes as he got out of the car. 

A hand grips his forearm, and Levi lets out an annoyed grunt. He's ready to snap at whoever stands behind him, but his words die down when he makes eye contact with the person. He drops his hand as soon as Levi starts turning, tucking it into the pockets of his apron. “Did something happen?”  Farlan asks, narrowing his eyes down at him, waiting for whatever Levi is going to say.  Farlan , apart from the rest, would know whether Levi is lying or not. They’ve known each other for many years, ever since Levi moved into the city with his mother and started attending middle school.  Farlan was there from day one—his desk mate, his project’s partner, his persistent colleague that somehow, along the years, became the only person he could confide in and be fully comfortable with. However, all that comes in hand with the fact that  Farlan had grown to understand him better than anyone else; and that along with his degree in psychology aren’t helping Levi’s case by much. 

He leans back on the counter and crosses his arms over his chest, looking at his side as he says, “Nothing serious. Just gotten in an argument with my neighbor.” Which is not wrong  _ per se;  _ him and Eren are at some sort of cross-road, but the details of it are not something he’d like to admit to. Especially not when it’s clear that he’s actually considering whatever Eren proposed to him. 

Farlan lets out a short huff, bringing his hand to the edge of his chin as he thinks, eyes not leaving the side of his face. They're burning the skin there, even though Levi doesn’t make any move to look back at him. “Is that the guy you keep offering rides to?” he asks after a while, and Levi grits his teeth, squeezing his eyes shut more tightly. 

“He’d be a pedestrian danger otherwise.” he shrugs, ignoring the fact that today he’d waited for him only to give him a ride to work—or ignoring the whole other occasions he’d done the very same thing, with the vindication that they’re  neighbors . 

“Okay well, are you going to solve that problem? Because I don’t want to be rude, but for the whole day you’ve been acting like you’re on a high dose of energy drinks” he says, which doesn’t feel so far from the truth.

But the problem still stands. Are they going to talk more about this or not; Levi had told him from the start, begun this whole thing knowing that there’s not going to be any take backs, but no follow ups either. He was certain of the fact that nothing would change on either side after the deal is off, that none of them would want to repeat it and instead would wish to bury the knowledge of doing something like it far away. And still, now, it seems like they’re both thinking of the exact opposite. 

He thinks about the meaning of what Eren said to him, knowing there’s no other way around it other than admitting that Eren had asked for a second time, one where they’d switch so he’ll be in the dominant position. And Levi had done that before, has no problem engaging in anything of sorts, but if they do it,  _ Eren  _ would be the one controlling him. __ It's hard to imagine he’ll ever let his guard down for him.

But then, when he thinks more into it, he remembers how he actually felt the other day. He recalls his eyes, the heavy and darkened gaze the other threw at him, so in control even in the moment of toppling over the edge; so fierce and piercing even through the curtain of unshed tears. He can hear the restrains of the handcuffs pinning the other down, rattling above them with force whenever he tries to raise his arms towards him, and the idea that Eren’s hands are strong enough to pin  _ him  _ down won’t wash away very soon. And he  _ knows  _ there still is a heavy pang of yearning in his chest, nested in there from the moment Eren left his apartment with his words still lingering behind him.

It's not an easy choice to make considering all that, so he says “I’ll take care of it,” to stop the other from asking more questions, reaching out for one of the mugs lined on the shelves behind Farlan. The other lets him, dropping his head to the ground as he goes on the other side towards the new occupied tables.

Moblit is already done with the coffee making when Levi gets to him, and he moves him aside gently with his hand on his shoulder so he can take his place. He mumbles a quiet thank you as the other hands the pot to him, leaving him alone to pour the coffee into the mug and take it to the table. He pours half of it, saving the other for himself instead of keeping it for later orders because he knows he needs it. He puts milk on top, detailing the drink with a drawing of a flower. 

He absently thinks how the other would react when he’ll talk to him about it the next time as he finishes the coffee. How would Eren look like when he’ll say that he refuses him; maybe he’d stare back at him in utter shock and with a small but strident pout on his bottom lip, forcing it from trembling. But then, he thinks how he’d look like if he’ll agree to it. He tries to envision the other’s eyes widening, large and gleaming with surprise only to kill off all the light in them, replacing it with dark shades of intriguing curiosity. The image of that alone is enough to make him stumble as he takes off towards the tables, causing his fingers to flex around the mug and twitch, and soon the weight of it starts slipping through. 

“ _ Shit—”  _ he hears, just before  Moblit catches the base of the mug in his own hand, saving it from falling and shattering on the ground. The other pats his back a bit too roughly once he tries to make eye contact; “You’re really careless today.” he laughs, taking off in his place. 

Levi squeezes his hands into tight fists, willing the involuntary groan to remain in the back of his throat, knowing full well that he’s been  _ too  _ careless for days.

✦✧✦

When Levi gets home, he hangs his jacket into the closet, sets his keys on the counter and makes a beeline straight towards the kitchen. He'd drunk coffee at work, in between breaks and confusing episodes that left him frustrated and excited at the same time in a weird combination. But all that the caffeine had done to him was making him even more restless by the time they were about to close the tea shop. 

He sets the kettle on the oven, looking through his tea bags for something strong and calming, enough to give him the illusion of tiredness to fall asleep faster. Once it’s done, Levi takes his full to the tip mug to the living room and starts his tv for background noise, something to prevent his mind from wandering to unwanted places again. He puts his phone on the coffee table, but not before opening it, curious if he’d gotten any texts during the day. He won’t see that pass Eren—asking through text as well, keeping his presence vibrant even through a phone screen. But there are no new messages, only a few more emails to add to the ones he hasn’t replied to yet; and while he sighs relived, he still can’t really brush away the small pang of disappointment in his chest. 

He puts his phone face-down on the table and tucks his legs under him as he drinks, eyes pinned on the tv trying to make sense of whatever is going on onscreen. Once the mug is finished and he’d spend half of the movie barely remembering the main character’s name, Levi gets up to refill his empty mug, shutting off the tv and opening up his laptop instead. He goes through his emails, answering and sending a few back and forth, keeping his mind occupied and heavy with other thoughts than whether the boy next door had come home or not from work. 

When he checks the hour for the first time since he’d started working, he notices it’s already a few minutes after midnight. He finishes up the reply he’s been writing, pushing himself off the couch to wash his mug and then walks into the bathroom. Underneath his eyes there’s a beginning of dark circles forming, damp and faint but still there if he squints his eyes into the mirror. He skims a hand through his hair, tugging at the strands loosely to feel  its rough ends. He grimaces at the beginning of grease on top of his head, and steps to the side to turn on the shower head waiting for the water to heat up for the second time today.

He switches the light off as he enters his bedroom, covering all in dark shadows. As he sits on the bed, the phone on his nightstand blinks  open with a new notification, the ding of a message filling the silence of the space. He freezes in his movements, still prompting himself on his palms as he eyes his phone until it shuts off. He waits a few more beats, secretly preparing himself for whatever he’ll find, and then takes the phone cautiously in his hand. 

He scrolls the bar down, his stomach making an unsettling flip, but it stills down when he sees  Farlan’s name instead. 

_ isn’t your neighbor the same one who snuck in a cat for about a month?  _

Levi frowns as he reads it again, moving his gaze to the wall as if he expects Eren to feel his stare through it. He can recall the time when it happened, about a year ago. It was him the one who found out about Eren’s secret pet, having heard questionable noises from the other side and asking the other about it at the time. Pets are not allowed into the complex, and Levi would’ve taken the right choice to tell the landlord about the cat, but after Eren had asked him to see her, he understood why he took her in completely. The cat was injured, with only three legs and half of the tail cut, her ribs poking out through her fur. In the moment, he let the argument slide, but still warned him that if he keeps it, it’s going to cost him quite an expensive fine.

The cat had grown healthier in the span of the month that Eren kept her hidden, until she was well enough to be passed over. He doesn’t know what had happened to her afterwards, but considering the care Eren had for it, he’s certain it wasn’t anything bad—or at least worse than the environment provided by his small apartment. 

He turns on his side, pushing his cheek into the pillow while typing a short reply, 

_ Your point? _

_ he seems pretty nice. can’t be that hard to resolve any problems you might have with him.  _

Levi nearly laughs when he reads it. If only he knew the type of problem him and Eren are facing; what sort of choices Levi has to debate on. 

The answer still feels logical—it's a no, in every sense. It's a bad idea to continue whatever they had started, especially when he doesn’t know how Eren acts around people he’s intimate with. He doesn’t know whether he gets attached easily or if he can ignore the heavy weight of a possible relationship the same way Levi can. He's had partners just for the sake of a scene, people he’d welcomed in his house, had been polite and careful with, but he had never experienced a long-term relationship before, and surely Eren can’t be the right candidate for that sort of thing. 

But the issue still stands—Eren is attractive, in any way, probably minus his personality. Into the scene, he had lost his thoughts in the way, crossing one another the more Eren reacted to everything that he was doing to him. And it wasn’t anything extreme. Levi had done nastier things, had experienced scenes the other would probably be too self-cautious to try out, but even though it was softer than anything Levi is common with now, the arousal was still there, picking intensity to the point where he could barely control it. He'd felt a pang of possessiveness at the time, something he had never felt before with anyone else; and knowing it’s Eren the one that pulled it out of him makes it even more frustrating. 

It was easy to imagine someone else underneath, with the gag stopping Eren’s voice from coming out and the other’s refusal to open his eyes, probably wanting the same thing—to hide away from the reality. But the moment the other had opened his eyes for him, and he pulled the gag loose from his mouth to hear the moans directly shouted into the room, it all came crushing down. His thoughts were in seven billion places, his heart was beating hard and fanatically over his ribcage and his arousal was even more noticeable than before, as a slap into his face when he’d realized it’s not the scene alone that made him feel like this, but Eren too. Eren's trembling muscles underneath him, the heavy raise and fall of his chest, the low and guttural moans; the feeling inside him—it all made Levi excited, more than he’d ever been with his last former partners. 

Eren would make a good choice in that case, sexually pleasing speaking, for the both of them. But it’s too much of a commitment to ask that of him, and indulging in this side of sexual life with someone he knows and spends every day of his life in close vicinity to won’t end up being something wise. 

_ “It wouldn’t be so bad if I could help you get off as well sometime,”  _ Eren had said, right before leaving, and subjectively it wouldn’t be such a bad idea. The scene with Eren was his best in a long while. As much as he’d want to deny that, it still remains a solid fact—so a second time shouldn’t be any different than the first. But he has doubts about all of this, thinks too much of what could happen in the near future if they would keep going on like this. And besides that, Eren is the type of character that continues to annoy him, with his huge ego and loud mouth, without any care in the world. However, behind this whole annoyance he has to admit that there are moments when Levi looks at him, and the other seems rather  _ cute  _ in whatever he’s doing. Whether it is talking with his hands always clenching when he’s excited or making weird faces when he eats something he doesn’t like, or even when he rolls his eyes at whatever Mikasa is saying to him. Those moments however had never been shared directly with him, and it almost feels like they’re reserved only for Mikasa and Armin, no one else included. Which, Levi can understand, it would also be hard for him to show all his sides to Eren the same way he shows them to Farlan or Hange (on fewer occasions), but it doesn’t change the fact that instead of being hostile, Eren is more of a nuisance around him. They can get along when they need to, but the limits of that extent are like a time bomb—they're not just playing around, as Historia likes to say. 

All this time, he couldn’t see Eren other than a loud neighbor with anger issues, shouting and singing at parties, always looking for competition even when there’s none to be found—but  _ now.  _ Now, Eren feels more like a mystery, and Levi isn’t sure yet if he wants to uncover it.

He had thought that he would never act as a submissive for Eren, but when he thinks about it  _ here _ , into the comfort of his bed, covered by the darkness of his room and the memories of what had happened where he stands now, that choice doesn’t seem so easy anymore. He knows the other has strength in his muscles, could flip him over with a single arm if he wanted to. Levi hadn’t done it, but picturing Eren now in the position of a dominant sends a chill throughout his muscles, shaking him as the illusions take form within the shadows. 

Exasperated, Levi throws the blanket off him and walks back into the kitchen. He needs more tea—not to relax, but to ignore the sudden pang of craving burning in his chest.

✦✧✦

Levi remains the last one in the tea shop to close it, checking for the place to be clean and turning off all the electricity.  Farlan had been worried the whole day—it was clearly visible on his face, even though Levi had managed to act normally. He'd asked about the neighbor again, but didn’t push it, probably sensing his apprehension to answer; however, Hange and Isabel were the same loud and clumsy themselves, so at least that was enough to diverge his thoughts away. He locks the front door and walks towards his car where he checks his shopping list written on his phone, then putting it away on the passenger seat as he turns on his radio. 

The supermarket park-way is full, and once Levi enters the building, the storm of people inside it overwhelms him. He sneaks through the ones blocking the way, checking his phone fanatically in order to get all his groceries faster to finally go home. 

He has everything checked off the list in under ten minutes, and he’s on his way to the cashier when he remembers that he’d wanted to make steak for the dinner. Levi rounds the corner, bumping into a running kid as he makes his way back towards the meat section and stops in front of the freezer. He eyes every package, feeling the hardness of the meat inside and comparing the different packages. When he chooses one and goes for it however, his fingers knock into someone else’s, both hands on either  sides of the same package. Levi frowns, looking up at the person as he starts to say,  _ “Sorry, pick another package,”  _ but the other is already watching him with a strain in his smile, and Levi understands this wasn’t a complete coincidence. 

“Hey,” Eren says, and even though his mouth is still twitching a bit on that smile, his eyes are glimmering—green and intensely looking back. As if waiting for something in particular the other would say. 

It's not the place, so Levi just  lets go of the package to grab the one underneath as he says, “Hello, Eren. Didn’t know you do your own groceries shopping.”

“From where did you get to that conclusion?” Eren asks behind him as he puts the meat in his cart and resumes his walking, the other speeding up to catch up with him. 

Levi shrugs his shoulder, “Just had the impression that Mikasa is taking excessive care of you. I don’t imagine you ever having your fridge empty.”

“Well—that’s true,” the other says under his breath with a faint hint of annoyance, and Levi feels a smirk on the side of his lips when he sees Eren frowning down at his own cart. “But I don’t rely on her. She just likes to know that I have something to eat since I’m an average cook.”

“Cooking ramen and sandwiches doesn’t make you average, Eren.”

“Why do  _ you  _ know what I eat?!” Eren makes a surprised gesture, his forearm brushing on his shoulder as he jolted away. Levi put extra space between them, even though it meant occupying the whole aisle as they moved. “Wait,” he says, reaching out to close his hand around Levi’s arm, and it does make him stop—quite taken by surprise by his closeness. “I have to get some eggs.” he says, and looks at him as if that means something.

It doesn’t take long for him to realize that Eren wants to stick together while shopping. They've never done something like this. Getting a ride together, yes. They've also gone together at their mutual friend’s houses having fun along with them, on quite many occasions—but they’ve never actually spent time  _ alone  _ together, doing something as mundane as groceries. Though, they do live in the same complex and Eren is surely looking for a free ride home, which means there’s nothing so abnormal about this anyway.

He sits behind him as he picks the other few things Eren needed, which takes way longer than he’d expected given that the other hadn’t made any type of lists, not even in his own mind. Levi is scrolling through his Instagram feed when Eren speaks, turning around sideways to be heard. “Have you thought about it?” he asks, and Levi looks back at him with raised eyebrows, checking the space around them to be relatively empty.

The other doesn’t dare looking back by the looks of it—he has his head hung low as he fiddles with a toothbrush in his hands. There's a tiny bit of pink on his cheeks to determine what he’s talking about, and Levi sighs as he puts his phone back in his pocket and leans on the bars of his cart. “Thought about what?” he asks back, enjoying the way Eren’s eyes divert exasperatedly towards him before quickly looking away. 

“Nothing.” he mumbles, throwing the toothbrush reluctantly into the cart and rolling forwards. 

It would be a good time to tell him that he had, in fact, thought about it. Quite a lot actually, making the other know that his offer didn’t enter one ear and vanished off the other. But it’s not the  _ place,  _ the supermarket is crowded and loud and Levi wants the quiet solitude of his house when he makes plans like this—makes him think through it better and find any possible restrains from the partner. Even though in this case, he’s not sure he’ll find any, given Eren has been the one  _ asking.  _

They both reach the cashier, Levi waiting for him to pay for his things before going through with his own. Eren waits for him a few feet away, and when Levi is done the other takes the lead, pushing the door open for the other. Levi eyes him sternly but he chooses not to comment on it, walking forwards towards his car with both hands full. 

“I’ll see you.” Eren suddenly says behind him, and Levi turns around confused to see him waving, walking down on the street. 

“Where are you going?” he asks, coming out more like an impulse. Eren stops in his steps, giving a puzzled look to him. It takes a while to remember that Eren isn’t really obliged to get into the car with him. “Come on.” Levi sighs, one heavily weighted arm raising towards his parked car, and he’s walking before the other can say anything else. 

He hears his trunk closing shut as he starts the engine, and Eren opens the passenger door afterwards with a short huff, sitting back smiling as he reaches towards the radio to turn it on. He blasts music all the way home, and Levi’s ears twitch from the sound of his voice cracking under his breath as he sings over the lyrics, but it doesn’t feel annoying. Levi can even find a sense of calmness in the way Eren is singing, and soon his fingers start trimming over his steering wheel, head bopping to the beat. 

If Eren noticed, he doesn’t act like it. He keeps his eyes on the window, fumbling with the end of his jacket, and while the situation fells uncomfortable, Levi isn’t sorry that he’d offered him the ride. Which, for the first time, might mean something he’s not prepared for.

✦✧✦

Once Levi gets home, he starts unpacking his bags, setting the oven on to start cooking. He moves around his kitchen, thinking about the right time to address the other about their decision. Prolonging it too much would give suspicion, but at the same time it would mean the other might start looking in other directions, asking strangers on the internet for a scene even if he’d warned him about it in the beginning. Eren is impulsive, and Levi can’t be one hundred percent sure whether the other really kept his word or not; maybe he already has a second plan, and the longer he keeps away, the more appealing the other option would seem like.

And on the other side, Levi wants to get this done and over with. He wants the burning feeling in his chest to go away and his thoughts to finally be at peace for once after three days in a row of continuous doubts and ideas. He flips the meat over the plate, switching off his oven and concludes,  _ “I’ll talk to him tomorrow.”  _

It's not as soon as Eren might’ve wanted his response to come, but it’s the sooner Levi can feel like it won’t give out the impression that he actually  _ wants  _ it. Because he does, even if Eren might not be as good in a dominant place as he is in the submissive; but he needs it for himself. To find answers to a question that’s been bugging him all these days. 

He starts eating when there’s a knock at his door. Levi sighs as he sets aside his meal and walks towards the front door, unlocking it with quick movements ready to will away whoever had interrupted him. On the other side however stands Eren, dressed in fluffy green pajamas with a burning dynamite in the center of his chest, hair tied back from his forehead with a red hairclip, visible under strands of hair. Levi pauses a bit after seeing him, eyes fixed on the weird hairstyle the other is wearing, looking away with difficulty. “What are you doing?” he asks, his chest clenching just a bit tighter. 

Eren coughs awkwardly, balancing a set of floral scented candles between them. “I think this was yours. Might've mixed our items back there.” 

Levi looks down at them and sighs, taking the candles from him. “Thank you. I didn’t realize I was missing something.”

“Are those for—you know,” Eren struggles, his hands clasping together as he tries to find the right words. Levi forces his lips into a tight line, ignoring the thought of finding Eren cute like this digging into his conscience. “Your thing?”

“You mean my sex thing?” Levi asks with a genuinely confused tone, tilting his head to the side. 

Eren visibly jolts, looking behind him and shushing his next words; “Don’t say things like that where people might hear.”

Levi raises an eyebrow at him. “Earlier you opened the same discussion in a crowded supermarket, Eren.”

“Nobody was  _ listening.  _ We have cameras in here!”

Levi's eyes dart towards the camera blinking red at the corner of the hall, fixed on where they’re standing. And while he’s sure no one is actively watching the tapes as they’re running, he chooses to open the door wider as invitation to a more secure space. 

“I don’t want fire anywhere near my bed, these are just for the nice smell.” he assures him, stepping away from the door as he says then, “Come in, I made dinner.”

It comes out his mouth before he can think of what he’s actually saying, and Eren’s eyes widen large as he stares at him, lips parted as if in the beginning of saying something. But with that out of the way, he lets the door wide open for the other as he walks back into the kitchen, waiting for the lock to come shut again. 

He puts meat and vegetables for Eren on a different plate, returning to his table to find the other standing beside it, his hands prompting on the surface. When he puts his plate down, Eren takes the seat, waiting for Levi to start eating again before he dives into his own meal. He watches the other munching, something near unsettling resting in his chest, as if wanting confirmation for something, holding his fork up to his mouth as Eren swallows. He lets out a soft noise of appreciation, cutting another piece right away. “This is really good, thank you Levi.” Eren says, keeping his eyes on the plate as he continues eating. Levi hums in response, eating his own piece of meat quietly. They keep the silence for a while, only the sound of their forks and knives knocking on their plates echoing into the house, but it soon becomes too much to bear with.

Levi sets his fork aside, bringing his hands together over the table and looking at the other still eating, dressed as if he’s minutes away from going to sleep. He sighs into his palms, closing his eyes tightly before he says, “I had thought about it.”

The fork slips from Eren’s fingers, landing with a loud cling over the edge of his plate. He rushes to save it from falling off the table, moving giddy hands across the surface until he forces them into fists and raises his eyes directly at him. “Really?”

There's a ding from his phone left in the bedroom, the tiny sound beaming in his ears. “Yes, really. If your offer is still up.”

Eren moves his eyes up and down on his face, green shining under the dim lighting of his kitchen. The light falls in shadows over him, and he can clearly see the long line of his neck, the muscles over his shoulders that hide underneath his shirt. And Eren does look completely innocent in those silly pajamas, but his eyes are saying a whole different story. “It is.  So, what’s your answer?” he asks, voice still a bit too shy compared to the force of his gaze. 

He places his chin over his hands, looking the other in the eye and making his voice as confident as he can. “You’re not going to be a good dominant the first time.” he assures him, waiting for a change of belief in Eren’s eyes. The other however only nodded, leaning barely an inch more over the table.

“That’s why you’re going to teach me.”

This, though, was not part of the offer as much as Levi can remember. He frowns at him, sensing his eyes twitching in slight annoyance. “Who said I was going to  _ teach  _ you  _ anything _ ?”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to.” Eren tells him, then with a soft but razor-sharp smile; “But I personally want to be your partner.”

Levi's hands dropped on the table, the smack of them over the wooden surface resonating around them like a bomb, but Eren didn’t even flinch, his eyes still fixed on the other as if knowing he’ll win this argument. 

“Do you have any idea what that  _ means,  _ Eren?”

“Yes.” the other says certain, a final glimmer of reassurance coming  in his gaze as he talks. “You’ve sent me the link, right? I did some more digging these days as well, and I want to try out more—with you. Because I trust you.” Eren said, and he could feel a cold chill running down on his spine, teeth biting on the inside of his cheeks. “But I'm putting this out here just so you’d know what I want at this moment. We don’t have to be entitled as partners for a long time—not at all, if you don’t want to. We can just do it again tonight, if you want, and stop altogether. It's your choice.” 

Levi opened his mouth to speak, closed it again when he realized nothing smart was going to come out. 

He doesn’t know where all this is coming from, where did Eren gain so much confidence since the last time they’ve been together? His chest is burning, heart beating erratically, but at the same time he feels his stomach turning, something upsetting nesting within. He runs a hand through his hair in frustration, prompting his elbow on the table as he grabs the edges of his hairlines. Eren is silent on his end, and at least for that Levi is grateful. 

In the end, he closes his eyes tightly against the skin of his arm and straightens back, looking at Eren who’s gaze had fallen down into an uncertain frown, a faint line of a smile still hanging on his lips. “We’ll talk about that another day.” Levi says, and Eren sighs almost as if relieved, resting his back on the chair. “You can wait in here. I'll wash these and go take a bath.” he says, pausing before taking Eren’s plate to see if he wants to eat more. The other shakes his head with a soft smile, pushing himself off with his plate in hands. 

“I’ll wash the dishes, you go.” Eren claims, taking Levi’s plate from his hands and stepping around him towards the sink. 

He follows him with his eyes, saying, “Don’t tell me what to do in my own house,” but he does head for the bathroom without another word. 

He takes little time under the showerhead, quick movement pushing him into motion as he scrubs all over his skin and focuses on the calmness of the water to diffuse his still lingering frustration. As he gets out of the bathroom, he secures a hand on the towel draped around his hips to keep it from falling. He goes directly into the bedroom, pushing the ajar door to find the other already in his room, as if he’d found the liberty to invite himself in. Eren is standing with his back at him, and Levi closes the door with a thump so the other would turn around at the sound; and Eren does, only that in the moment he sees him, Eren jolts and lets out a shocked gasp, turning his head away. He brings a hand to his mouth as if mortified other sounds might come out, and even in the dark room Levi can see the redness spreading on his cheeks. 

He realizes then that this must be the first time Eren sees him naked, and while Levi doesn’t have such a muscular body like his, he knows it’s not a complete let-down. 

His eyes fall down on the opened drawer at Eren’s feet, and his nose scrunches up involuntarily. “You really enjoy looking through other people’s things, don’t you?” he asks, heading for the bed and sitting down on it to gaze up at him. 

Eren makes a confused sound under his palm, sneaking a glance at him and then quickly at the opened drawer. He huffs a laugh under his breath—or another whimper, Levi can’t be really sure—and goes down to grab something from within. “I want to use something like this, but I wasn’t sure whether you had one.” he explains as he holds up a spreader bar, taking the few cautious steps until he gains a boost of confidence again and sits next to Levi on the edge of the bed. He puts the bar between them, taking his hand away to put it in his lap as if the instrument is something too scary to touch. 

“You want to use this on me, but you were too  _ embarrassed  _ to ask me about it?” Levi asks, lips forming into a thin smile as he keeps himself from laughing. 

Eren grunts next to him, pushing himself back on the bed and straddling a knee on the sheets. “Shut up,” he mumbles, hands stretching on the bed and closing in fists. It's unnerving and distracting, seeing Eren so nervous about this, minutes before the scene would actually take place. And if he doesn’t collect himself in this moment, he’ll never be able to do anything. Levi sighs, reaching out to grip one of his hands into his own, squeezing once tightly to reassure him, circling his fingers around his wrist. Eren’s fingers jolt underneath his hold, and he looks up into his eyes, the color of shining green covering up his whole vision. 

“Are you sure?” Levi asks, not because Eren might still have doubts about using it—he knows he doesn’t—but because it’ll mean one last chance of taking all his words back; one last chance to walk out the door.

Eren gazes back into his eyes, his shocked expression fading out as he looks sternly at him; and even considering what they’ve done a few night ago and what they’re about to do now, this moment seems to hold more intimacy than any. “Are you?” Eren asks, and he sees it in his eyes, the impulse to ask the same question from before. 

He averts his gaze away, taking the hand off his own and raising onto the bed. “The rule still remains. No kissing.” Levi says, pushing his back fully on the bed as he looks at Eren’s silhouette painted into the weak gleam of the moon coming from behind his blinds. 

Eren rolls his eyes, a smirk stretching on one side of his mouth; “You don’t have to remind me of that.” he says, taking the bar at his side again and moving it near Levi’s own thigh. He reaches out a hand to clasp around his ankle, but stops midway, his hand closing around empty air, eyes uncertain looking from the bar to his legs. 

Levi waits a few more beats, sighing heavily when Eren choses to reposition himself a few inches closer, still looking too fearful and uneasy. He nudges his right hip with his foot, dropping it next to him with a thud. “If you continue to be this embarrassed, you won’t be able to do anything—”

“I know, I'm  _ not.  _ I just don’t know how...”

“You don’t know how it hooks around the ankles? Or did you think the cuffs were for the thighs?”

Eren shakes his head again, more firmly, an annoyed huff coming out either directed to him or himself. “I don’t know if... Can I touch you?” he asks, looking up at him with questioning eyes and a bit of shading red over his cheekbones. 

Levi closes his mouth, feeling it running dry as he swallows tightly. “I’d hope so.” 

The other hums under his breath, unhooking the cuffs on either side of the bar. Levi watches his hands working on the second one, waiting for the lock to come loose before he raises his hips and spreads his legs wide for him, the towel barely a few inches away from falling off completely. He sees Eren pausing in his movements, eyes trained firstly to the exposed skin of his hips and thighs before coming up slowly to his own, eyebrow raised and green steadily darker. 

“ So it won’t take years for you to touch me.” he explains, the foot next to Eren’s thigh knocking over it again in sign to keep going. 

Eren grabs his ankle suddenly, keeping it away on the bed as he moves the bar between his legs and straps the cuffs around his skin. “I was going to.” Eren says, even though by the looks of it, it didn’t seem like it would happen any time soon. He cuffs him to the spreader bar, the belts of the hooks biting on his skin when he tightens them too harshly, mumbling a sorry when Levi hissed at the itching contact. He can see how he steals glances towards him when he’s done, eyes still indecisive but his hands steady on the backs of his thighs, feeling the wet skin under his fingertips. It's a nice feeling—Eren has smooth and big hands, pushing his fingers into Levi’s muscles as if that’s his only steading source, and it helps him too to be anchored into their current reality, mind free of intruding thoughts.

It gets frustrating again soon when Eren doesn’t look like he’s planning on doing anything. Levi raises himself on his elbows to look him directly in his eyes and ask if he has any hold-backs  _ now,  _ but he doesn’t get to say anything. Eren's hands go away from his legs, and the other leans away from him so he’s standing on the bed, tugging on his  pajama's shirt. Levi watches as he pulls it over his head, dropping it somewhere on the floor, and his eyes widen, shutting his mouth as Eren starts crawling back in his space.

“What are you doing?” he asks, still holding himself on his elbows. Eren gets close—too close to his face, his breath hot and tingling over his cheek.

“I feel more comfortable without it.” Eren explains, his voice running out much softer than he’s ever heard it before. He presses his open fingers on Levi’s chest, pushing him down on the bed again as he moves lower to raise his legs so he can reach in between and remove the towel from his body entirely. Chill air hit his newly exposed skin, and Levi bit the inside of his cheek to prevent himself from making any unnecessary noises, closing his eyes as he waits for the other move. And just then— “Fuck, I forgot something.” Eren says, and he can feel the bed dipping even before he gets to open his eyes again. 

Eren is standing in front of his cabinet again, ruffling through to find something, and Levi feels the irritation sparking within himself as he watches, sees how fanatic his moves are, messing everything around. “We need to put a few rules from now. Number one, never look through my staff, especially when I'm practically restrained.” Levi says, and Eren lets out a long hum, as if thinking his idea through. 

“I thought we already had rules. No kissing?” the other asks, and he turns around to walk back where he is, his whole face shadowed into the darkness. 

Levi rolls his eyes, pushing his head higher on the pillow as he focuses his eyes on the closed binds over the windows, waiting for the other to regain his place in front of him. “That rule is a given. But it seems like with you, I have to think of a whole damn list, brat.”

“Does that mean you’re considering being partners?” Eren asks, and his voice is edging on hopeful again and—Levi doesn’t quite understand where all this is coming from. Him and Eren had never hang out outside of their mutual group, except perhaps for the times they’ve met involuntarily, in his tea shop or Eren’s convenience store. They still have a distant relationship with each other—polite at best—but there was never a moment from either of them when they’d wanted to know more about the other, to actively spend an evening just by themselves. That, until a few nights ago, and that evening alone is arguably the best one Levi’s had in a long while; and it was his annoying and loud neighbor with impulsive personality and anger management the one who made it that great. Him and Eren are strangers to each other when it comes to their personal lives and depths of their character, yet here they are—here is Eren asking,  _ hoping  _ to have an intimate relationship with him, acting as if they’re close enough to take that into consideration. 

And here is Levi, actually reflecting on the situation instead of going forth with a  _ no.  _

He can feel his throat closing around air for a short moment, and he turns his eyes back on him. The light shines low on his chest and abdomen, dusting the muscles in rich blues, and Levi realizes that like this Eren might actually look better than sprawled over. And with blinds open and moonlight creeping in stronger, he might even look bewitching. He clears his throat; “I said we’ll talk about it. Not now.”

Eren nods, leaning over him slowly. The spreader bar between his legs moves higher when Eren bumps his hips into it, forcing his knees even more apart. “I wasn’t planning on talking right now. I have something else in my mind.” Levi blinks at him, the wonder whether Eren had been thinking of said particular thing the nights before itching on the tip of his tongue. Eren brings a hand around the back of his head, raising it slightly off the pillow, and Levi frowns as he first tries to yank himself free, but a dark cloth covers his eyes immediately after, making him freeze in the movement. He can hear Eren clearing his throat, his own hands stilling. “Is this okay?” he asks, and Levi nearly laughs out loud.

He nods instead, pushing his head higher so he can knot the blindfold behind. “Anything is fine.”

Eren’s hands took a little more to start working again, knotting the two sides on the back of his head and then running his fingers softly through his freshly washed hair, placing the now-cold fingertips over his shoulder as he guides him to lie back. The fingers remain there for a while, digging into the outline of his collarbone and then trailing down on the shape of his body, curving around the cut of his hipbone. His throat is burning, air caught under a though barrier of pressure blocking voluntarily the moan forming in the back of his throat. He moves his hands to his sides, getting a grip of the sheets in both of his hands and holding on with white knuckles as he controls his breathing. The thing is, being blindfolded is high on his list of preferences when it comes to the scenes; it’s an exciting and intriguing way of balancing trust with expectation. But then, he knew what to expect from his partners in the bigger picture, only the few surprises on the way were worth keeping the tension up; yet with Eren it’s another story. He doesn’t know what to expect from him, doesn’t know how Eren is as a top, and neither Eren himself knows, being his first-time topping as a dominant. Usually, when Levi tries things out with new people, he doesn’t allow himself to anticipate anything—but Eren, again, is different.  _ Why  _ he’s different, that’s hard to tell.

Eren pulls on one of his thighs to bring him lower, his other hand hooking around his other leg, holding it up as if the spreader bar isn’t enough to hold them apart. His nails scrap over the skin on the back of his thigh, just a biting feeling that itches intensely, and Levi opens his mouth wordlessly as the other hikes his leg even further, the press of his own naked chest coming into contact. “Relax,” Eren says, and Levi lets out a snort that changes into a silent gasp when Eren graces his hand around the base of his cock, fingers cold on his sensitive skin. “Told you to relax,” he goes on, tracing the length of it slowly with one finger, up and down and then up again before he takes his hand away completely. “Where do you keep your lube?”

Levi swallows before he tries to answer, making sure his throat isn’t strained with underlining arousal. “The drawer on my nightstand.” he says, tone still a bit too rough. 

Eren huffs, leaning towards the side of the bed to get to his nightstand. His leg flexes around the shape of his chest, feeling the muscles even better as the other stretches to get the drawer open, and for once, Levi thinks that blindfold off would've been a better choice. “Your drawers  contains are scary, not  goona lie.” Eren says when the drawer comes shut again with a dull thud. He feels the other’s body moving away, and his leg follows after him, seeking the warmth and firmness of it. The other catches it before he can guide his cuffed legs to where Eren is standing, pulling his leg with his arm as he opens the lid on the lube. The sound of it is so familiar and yet so startling almost, like realization had just hit through his body. 

Eren's hand comes back warmer the second time, barely touching the hole of his entrance with the tip of his fingers. Levi inhales a sharp breath, licking his lips and biting down hard on his bottom one as the anticipation burns painfully in his chest. The other moves again, body bumping into the bar when he leans down over him, and Levi has to strain his hearing to understand what he’s saying, too caught up in the feeling of his fingers, so close and yet not nearly close enough. “Can you come untouched?” Eren whispers, and the words came from such a little distance that Levi jolts his head away from him. 

Chills took over his body, and he nodded firmly, grinding his teeth together when Eren lets out a breath that fells over the exposure of his neck, hot and fleeting. He pushes himself up, the bed creaking as Eren moves back in his place, and even with his control over his noises, Levi whimpers around his closed lips as Eren pushes one finger in, slowly and steadily pushing it further. His knees tremble, feet unsteady on the spread of his bedsheets, and Eren grips around one of his thighs again to help him steady himself, pausing half-way inside him to wait for the other to come back to his senses. Which—is more unnerving than when Eren caused him to have a serious turn on; because  _ this  _ confirms it for him. This reaction alone, especially with the blindfold on and thoughts deranged, is enough to answer his question of whether or not he’s attracted to Eren as a person first and foremost. Levi had never reacted to someone else as quickly as he’d done with him; but Eren doesn’t need to know that, or see him in this  embarrassing position anymore. 

He lets out a long sigh, straddling his hips firmly into the bed as he forces his legs to stop trembling. Eren waits, thumb absently rubbing over his skin and when Levi relaxes his muscles enough to loosen up again for him, he moves even deeper, touching the edge of his knuckle to his entrance. It sends a full shudder through him, tingling on the curve of his spine and up into the skin of his neck, and Levi holds his chin high as he wheezes out a soft whimper, fingers fisting hard into the sheets. Eren moves his other hand over his thigh, curving it smoothly and firmly over his flesh and tracing his palm up over his hipbones, moving fleetingly towards the center of his chest. 

Levi closes his mouth shut, his bottom lip caught between his teeth as Eren places his palm over his heart, holding him down with unquivering force as he pushes another one inside him, spreading it wider from the other finger. He could feel them touching the walls inside, spreading him up, and Levi’s legs jerk involuntarily, the cuffs on his ankles clinging with a rattling noise as he pulls on them. He stops, two fingers deep to the knuckle inside, and there was a beat of nothingness but still silence for a while. Then; “Don’t move when I'm inside you, Levi.” Eren said, voice hushed and dark running so close to his face that he could feel the breaths ghosting over his skin. He tilts his head towards the source of warmth, lips parting to let out a high and appreciative moan, and the other giggles over him, leaning away when Levi’s shoulders start shaking with tremors. 

He forced his muscles from twitching, instead focusing solely on Eren’s fingers moving within, stretching and widening the walls inside and pumping hard and slow. He could feel an added pressure on the bar between his feet, maybe Eren’s other hand steading it so he could get a clearer view, the bed rusting whenever the other moved an inch, restless and indecisive as always. It made it better to focus however, hearing and knowing the other’s presence so close to him, taking his breath away. He swallows, waiting for another pressure inside him as Eren pulls out, but nothing more comes. Eren pulls away completely, bed sheets rustling as he moves away, and Levi makes a desperate type of whine he’ll regret afterwards. He raises his hips towards where he thinks the other is, searching with blind guidance until Eren’s hands grip him on both sides to keep him low, placing him still too gently on the bed. 

“What—” Levi starts the ask, eyebrows frowning under his blindfold and nudging his head as if it’ll help in any way to see the other. But then there’s a wet shock over his sensitive skin, a flick of a tongue that goes away as soon as it comes, and Levi moans reflexively. His legs try to move inwards, covering himself up, but the cuffs cling again against the restrains, keeping him immobile. Eren puts a hand on the back of his thigh, squeezing. “I said don’t move.” he says, and this time the breath is so close to his entrance that it makes it ache for something more, ache for anything Eren is willing to give. Levi rolls his head into the pillow, trying to cover his mouth as he moans again, the force of the chills raising through him and going straight into the head of his cock. 

Eren shifts his head, nose brushing on his other leg, lips dangerously close to placing a kiss over the skin. “Is this okay?” he asks again, mumbling the words into his flesh. 

Levi swallows before answering, keeping his mouth pressed into the pillow so the rough edge of his tone would be easier to miss. “You can do anything, Eren.” he says, and by this point he knows that goes on beyond consent. Eren could do literary anything, and Levi would continue being only a full mess under him. 

The other hums, his nose dipping into his leg one last time before moving away, and the other hand closes around his thigh for support, keeping Levi anchored as well as he slides over the spreader bar between his legs. It moves his hips up again, almost uncomfortably, but the discomfort goes away when Eren is over him again, tongue hot and heavy on the sides and sliding wetly up towards the base of his cock. He pauses there, moving up absently and giving a slight nip to the head that makes him retaliate and tighten his walls around nothing. Eren moves downwards again, his lips pressing over the skin first—smooth and delicate, opening up as the tongue passes through, testing the sensitivity and working an inch inside him. Levi lets out a strangled groan, muscles twitching, and then Eren moves closer, shutting the distance between them as he slides his tongue fully inside. 

He makes a choked sound, pushing his head up as Eren pushed and pulled inside him, the moves restless and sharp, matching saliva with lube in a messy combination that turned everything sleek and warm and dirty. It was wild almost, and Levi never thought the other had it in him; he let himself numb, taking and opening himself up for anything Eren is planning to give. His nose bumps into the side of his hip, lips brushing over the sensitive skin with more intensity the deeper he goes with every push, and Levi shivers, feeling his eyes watering with tears gathering around his eyelashes. 

Eren gives a few more licks, brushing the insides with intent before he pulls out with a loud pop. His hand comes up over it again, pushing three fingers inside and thrusting them all the way in to fill the void. He widens them, wet and rough, and Levi feels the blindfold soaking with his tears as he comes, his voice running high and trembling. He comes hard, barely able to keep his breathing in check as Eren pumps into him in a slower motion, helping him through the orgasm as Levi tries to come back to their world. 

He doesn’t feel when Eren takes his fingers out, or when his other’s hand untangled from the base of his thigh where it’s been keeping a firm grip throughout the whole scene. He can feel however when his legs are freed, the numbness in his muscles making them fall on the sheets with a harsh thud. The bed shifts again, Eren moving closer, and Levi wants it off, wants to see him clearly approaching, wondering how his eyes would stare back dazed and unfocused and how his face would burn from the aftermaths of a violent blush. 

He feels fingers through his hair first, going through his strands softly, and then closing around the knot to get it loose, taking the blindfold off. Levi blinks a few times to wave the tears away, feeling them trailing over his cheeks and then he gazes up at him, Eren’s body hovering above. His hair is loose, the hairpin having fallen somewhere during the scene, and his eyes are shining even in the dark, rich green looking down at him with both arousal and concern. His lips are wet, and he licks his tongue over them, Levi’s chest clenching at the action. “Can I grab towels from the bathroom to clean you up?” Eren asks softly, and Levi opens his mouth letting out a ragged sound. He clears his throat and nods instead, watching as Eren jumps off the bed and goes out. 

He comes back in a few seconds, sitting beside him and tabbing the wet cloth over his skin. It's gentle and careful, almost as if he’s afraid he’ll hurt him if he moves the wrong way, and it’s so in contrast with how Eren’s hands touched him during the scene that his brain short-circuits for a moment. He looks at him through his lashes, seeing the flex of his muscles as he cleans him up, measuring with his eyes the length of his shoulders, and when Eren looks back at him he can see the hesitation passing through his eyes, biting his lip. “Do you...” he says when he’s done, putting the towel between their bodies. “What should I do next?” Eren asks, and that’s when he realizes what this is. 

Eren wants to take care of him, wants to provide a good aftercare like Levi had done for him. The thought of it almost makes Levi laugh at how  ridiculous it is. 

He shakes his head, smile still edging on his lips soft and absently, and he rolls his head into the pillow. “You don’t need to do anything, Eren. Just go home.” Levi says, closing his eyes with fatigue clinging to them. Eren doesn’t move for a while, his body still resting on the edge of the bed, but then he feels it dip as he gets up, hears the cling when he picks the bar up from the floor and puts it into the drawer. He can sense the other moving around the room more, the noises dulling him to sleep.

After a short while he hears a soft thump on the surface of his nightstand, and the feeling of fingers running through his hair comes again with such softens that it seems more out of a dream than reality. The shut of the door comes next, and Levi cracks his eyes open into the room, half expecting to see Eren back on the edge of his bed.

He's not there however, and Levi groans as he pushes himself up to adjust his pillow. The blue mug on his nightstand catches his attention, and Levi leans towards it to sense the rich smell of fresh tea, stream still raising hot and high from the surface. 

He eyes the mug with a frown, and ignores the little flip within his chest. He prompts himself onto the headboard, mug warm in between his palms as he takes a sip that cools him down to the tip of his feet. He relaxes his head back, blinking into the empty room as he replays the night in fractures, going back and forth until the other’s question comes again in the back of his mind, nudging him over the edge. 

He sighs, grabbing his phone as he drinks and typing,  _ the problem had just gotten bigger  _ before he sets it on his nightstand again and folds his legs before him as he finishes his tea.

✦✧✦

“What did you mean?”  Farlan asks him as he enters the storage room. He holds his phone up when Levi turns to look at him, his eyebrows frowned in worry and confusion. 

He sees the text, and the several replies  Farlan had given in the morning, all ignored. He  shrugs , turning back to the shelves so he can place the new coffee beans in order. “Just what it means. It is worse now.”

“Worse how?” 

Levi sets the next box with a thump, looking over his shoulder at the other who sets his eyebrows low in a dark scowl, meaning he won’t let it down until he answers. He sighs, and says under his breath, “There’s just a bit of a tension between us right now. I made a wrong choice and now we’re both in a quite shitty situation.”

Farlan is silent for a while, his scowl raising and lips parting as if he’s at the start of saying something. His eyes flash, barely for a second, and in that  moment Levi fears he’d figured him out already. “But he understands you, right? Like I said, he seems like a nice guy.”

“You just know that he saved a cat once, that doesn’t mean he’s  _ nice.” _

_ “ _ Sure it does. Besides, you wouldn’t make choices involving anyone you’re not comfortable with.” he says, pocketing his phone and taking a box of flour in his arms. “Talk to me if you need anything. And I mean it.” he says, flashing him a quick smile before going out the door.

Levi watches as it comes shut, his sigh heavy in the empty room. Before he goes to put the next box on the shelf, his phone vibrates in his pocket, and he takes it out to check the notifications. There are still the rows of texts from  Farlan left unopened, but above them is Eren’s name—and seeing it now forms butterflies inside him. 

He ignores them, opening the messages to see a picture the other had sent of himself. He's smiling, all white and straight teeth, eyes half-opened and staring back at him with shinning green colors. He holds a dog to his chest, its head rested where his shoulder starts looking up at him with something that seems like fascination. 

There's a text under, reading; 

_ found this puppy in the backyard. think i can get away a second time? _

Levi rolls his eyes at the message, his lips resting into a soft and small smile as he replies. 

_ Don’t you dare. _

Eren gives another reply in a few short seconds, sending an emoji with the tongue out, and Levi snorts, shoving his phone back in his pocket.

There’s only one thought running through his head the whole day, and it’s all in the form of:  _ damn you, Eren Yeager. _

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! :))
> 
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